Refrigerant-holding receptacle



A. P. KRUSE.

REFRIGERANT HOLDING RECEPTACLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23,1919. 1 ,37 9 108, Patented May 24, 1921.

m M M M PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT 1P. 'KRUSE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

REFRIGERANT-HOLDING RECEIPTAGLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Application filed June 23, 1919. Serial No. 306,232.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT P. Know, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerant-Holding Receptacles, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of my specification.

My invention relates to a refrigerantholding receptacle more especially intended for use in display cases adapted for the display of cuts of meats'and the like; that is the type of display case which is more especially intended'to be placed on the marble or wood top of a counter, with the counter top adapted to constitute the bottom of the display case. Such display cases are usually constructed with front, end, and top glass walls secured in place by a suitable frame work and with the front wall usually given a slant or slope backwardly from bottom to top in order that the commodities may be more readily discerned and less light reflection encountered.

Display cases of the type just described have heretofore been placed on the marble or wood top of a counter and suitable platters or vessels, with the cuts of meat and other commodities, placed within the case, but without means whereby the air within the display case could be' properly chilled to preserve the meats and the like.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable refrigerant-holding receptacle especially adapted for display cases ofthis class, in order that the temperature within the display cases might be sufficiently lowered or chilled to maintain the meats or other commodities in proper condition; the refrigerant-holding receptacle being of such construction as to .readily adapt it to display cases of the class referred to and which may be easily removed for recharging with the refrigerating medium; whll'eat the same time properydirect communication between the interior of the display case and the interior of the refrigerant-holding receptacle will be established so that the chilled or cold air from the refrigerant-holding receptacle will be directly discharged into the dlsplay play case resting on the top of a counter- (which is partially broken away) and provided at its ends with my refrigerant-holding receptacles.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken at one end through the display case, showing my improved receptacle in side elevation with portions'of the walls broken away to disclose the wall construction.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 83 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a perspective sectional View showing a modified form of my improved receptacle.

In the exemplification, I have illustrated a display case at lO provided' with a sloping front wall and resting on the topll of a counter, in the usual manner; the rear of the display case being shown provided with double sliding doors, as at 12, adapted to slide past each other in the usual manner, as is clearly evident from the construction shown in Fig. 2. Display cases of this type are made with glass walls but without bottoms and are merely intended to rest on the marble or wood tops of the counters for the purpose of providing'a suitable covering for the cuts of meat, or other commodities, where they may be seen by the customers.

As the construction of the display case in itself forms no part of my invention, a specific description of the exact construction of the case, beyond that heretofore given, need not be entered into.

Display cases of this character are usually made in various lengths to suit the needs and requirements of the user, ranging from four to ten feet, more or less, so that one or more refrigerant-holding receptacles may be required, depending upon the length of the display case. In the construction. illustrated, I have shown the display case provided with two of my improved refrigerantholding receptacles, namely with one receptacle arranged at each end of the case. Where the receptacles are to be employed at the ends of a display case, as inFig. 1, the refrigerant-holding receptacle 13 is of the type illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein but one wall is provided with the air circulating openings.

The receptacle is preferably formed of sheet metal which constitutes the two sides,

two ends and bottom; the receptacle being made of greater depth and length than the transverse dimensions thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The receptacle is provided with a removable top or cover 14 which is also preferably formed of sheet metal and provided with suitable flanges as at 15 adapted to extend about the upper ends of the side and end walls of the receptacle 13, as shown in Fig. 3. Where the receptacle is intended for use at the ends of a display case as in Fig. 1, the one side wall of the receptacle is blank or imperforate and properly insulated by means of a'suitable outer casing 16, preferably of wood with an intervening layer 17 of insulating'material, such as paper and the like, disposed throughout the imperforate side or closed wall of the receptacleywhile the bottom is inclosed by the wood covering or case 16, with an inter vening layer of felt, as at 18, and a second layer of insulating paper 17 on which the metallic bottom of the receptacle rests. The method of insulating, as described with reference to the blank side or imperforate wall, is also employed for the two ends of the receptacle, as shown in Fig. 2, so .that the two end walls, bottom and one side wall of the receptacle (when of the construction intended for use as in Fig. 1) are insulated throughout.

The sidewall of the receptacle which is intended to be disposed toward the interior of the display case is merely provided with the wooden framework or outer casing at the top and bottom of the side wall, as shown at 16, 16, in Fig. 3; this wooden framework being also disposed vertically along the ends of said side wall, as shown in Fig. 2 at 16, 16. With this construction of outer framework, it is apparent that the major ortion of the side wall of the receptacle w iich is to be disposed toward the interior of the display case, is left exposed, as at 19 in Figs. 2 and 3. The upper part of this exposed side wall 19 of the receptacle is provided with a plurality of horizontally disposed louvers 20 which are preferably formed so as to be disposed upwardly on the exterior of the receptacle, as shown in Fig. 3, while a second setof louvers 21, formed on the interior of the receptacle, are disposed downwardly, thereby providing the upwardly disposed openings intermediate of the two sets of louvers for the circulation of air. With the louvers 21 on the interior of the receptacle disposed downwardly, it is evident that the escape or passage of the refrigerating medium to the exterior of the receptacle while the receptacle is being charged will be prevented and these downwardly sloping louvers will also prevent the escape of any water of condensation result ing from the thawing ice or refrigerating medium; the water or drip being caused to drop toward the bottom within the receptacle.

\Vith this construction, it is evident that the warm air within the display case will have direct communication with the interior of the receptacle and with the refrigerant; or, in other words, the chilled air within the receptacle will be directly discharged into the interior of the display case, and a circulation of air induced whereby the chilled air will be allowed to drop and come into contact with the cuts of meat or other commodities. At the same time the uninsulated lower portion 19 of the metallic wall of the receptacle will also assist in maintaining a proper temperature atthe lower and coolest point in the display case, by reason of the air contacting with said blank portion of the side wall.

Where the display case is of small size, so that one receptacle is sufficient, or the case is of such large size that it is desirable to arrange the refrigerant-holding receptaole at an intermediate point in the dis lay case, I prefer to have both side walls 0 the receptacle exposed as shown in Fig. 4, where a section of the receptacle is shown having the two side walls 22 both exposed and provided with louvers 23 arranged on the exterior of the receptacle and similar to the louvers 20 in Fig. 3. The side walls 22 are likewise provided with the louvers 24 on the interior thereof, thereby providing the air passages between the respective louvers on both sides; the interior louvers 24, like the louvers 21, being disposed downwardly so as to prevent the. escape of any water-of condensation as well as the small particles of chipped or broken ice with which the receptacle is charged. The louvers in the construction shown in Fig. 4 are preferably disposed horizontall adjacent the upper end of the receptac e, thus providing the imperforate lower metallic portion similar to the construction shown in Fig. 3; it being understood, of course, that any suitable number of louvers may be employed commensurate with the height of the receptacle. In the construction shown in Fig. 4, the outer casing 16 is of the skeleton or frame formation shown to the leftin Fig. 3, with the casing disposed about the entire bottom of the receptacle and provided with intermediate layers of felt and insulating paper as previously described in connection with the construction shown in Fig. 3. The receptacle shown in Fig. 4 is more especially intended for use at an intermediate point in the display case, and for that reason is constructed to establish direct communication on both sides of the receptacle between the air in the display case and the interior of the receptacle.

It will be understood, of course, that the configuration of the receptacle may be varied to suit the internal configuration of the display case; it being preferable, however, that the refrigerantholding receptacle be of height commensurate with the interior height of the dis lay case in order that a proper chilling 01 the air may be obtained.

I have shown and described what I believe to be the simplest and best embodiments of my invention, but the same is susceptible of modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is A receptacle of the class described, formed of sheet metal and rectangular in cross section having bottom, side and end walls, with the vertical and longitudinal dimensions of the receptacle being greater than the transverse dimensions thereof, said receptacle beingprovided with a plurality of horizon tally disposed air passages adjacent the upper part of the receptacle, a side wall of the receptacle being provided with moisturedeflecting projections disposed lengthwise above said air passages, an outer casing about the bottom, ends and portions of the sides of the receptacle with intervening layers of insulating material therebetween, and a removable top.

ALBERT P. KRUSE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE HEIDMAN, F. A. FLORELL. 

